This proposal requests funds to support research at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center of Rutgers, The State University to develop techniques to ensure the maintenance of teaching skills in parents of autistic children. The parents of autistic children, ages 2 1/2 to 5 years, will be trained in behavior modification and operant speech training techniques. The value of booster sessions, prolonged training and focused group experience aimed at exploring parents' feelings about their child's handicap will be examined to determine their benefit in helping parents sustain work with their children over time. The measures of behavior change will include videotapes of standardized parent-child play and teaching sessions, evaluation of child's progress in speech, and unobtrusive home audiotapes of parent-child interactions. Follow-up will be conducted at regular intervals for several years.